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Kiev protests continue

Kiev

A Ukrainian pro-European Union activist stands while warming himself near a bonfire at a heavily fortified tent camp in Kyiv's Independence Square in Kiev in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 17, 2013.

Weeks of angry pro-European Union protests as well as Western pressure have forced Yanukoyvch to make some concessions to the opposition. Last week Yanukovych called for an amnesty for some of the activists detained.

Kiev

The European Union suspended association talks with Ukraine as more than 200,000 protesters massed in the heart of Kiev demanding that the government recommit itself to the West.

The ex-Soviet nation of 46 million has been at the heart of a furious diplomatic tug of war since President Viktor Yanukovych's surprise decision last month to ditch a landmark EU agreement and seek closer ties with historic master Russia.

Credit: Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

Kiev

A pro-European integration protester stands guard on top of a barricade at Independence Square in Kiev, Dec. 14, 2013.

Opposition leaders in Kiev on Saturday and voiced support for protesters camped out for weeks in the capital, a move sure to anger Moscow for what it sees as Western meddling in its backyard.

Credit: Marko Djurica

Kiev

U.S. Senator John McCain shakes hands with a protester during a mass opposition rally at Independence Square in Kiev, Dec. 15, 2013.

McCain told more than 200,000 EU supporters rallying in the Ukrainian capital Kiev that Washington backed their desire for European integration.

"To all Ukraine, America stands with you," he called out to the cheering crowd. "The free world is with you, America is with you, I am with you... Ukraine will make Europe better and Europe will make Ukraine better."

Credit: Yuriy Kirnichny/AFP/Getty Images

Kiev

Protesters sit in front of a barricade set up by the Ukrainian opposition in Kiev, Dec. 16, 2013.

Credit: Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images

Kiev

A protester stands on Independence Square in Kiev late on Dec. 16, 2013.

Kiev

Kiev

Interior Ministry personnel block a street during a gathering of supporters of EU integration in Kiev, Dec. 9, 2013.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich backed a call for talks with the opposition on Monday to end weeks of protests in Kiev, but tension was high with pro-Europe demonstrators barricading their protest camp in preparation for police intervention.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland visited Independence Square in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy said.

Nuland’s highly symbolic appearance in the square came a day after Secretary of State John Kerry issued a strong statement, expressing the United States' "disgust with the decision of Ukrainian authorities to meet the peaceful protest ... with riot police, bulldozers, and batons, rather than with respect for democratic rights and human dignity."

Kiev

A Ukrainian riot policeman pulls a Pro-European Union activist out from a tent camp in Independence Square in Kiev, Dec. 11, 2013.

Security forces clashed with protesters as they began tearing down opposition barricades and tents set up in the center of the Ukrainian capital early Wednesday, in an escalation of the weeks-long standoff threatening the leadership of President Viktor Yanukovych.

Kiev

Kiev

People surround a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, which was toppled by protesters during a rally organized by supporters of EU integration in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 8, 2013.

The third week of protests continued Sunday with an estimated 200,000 Ukrainians occupying central Kiev to denounce President Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to turn away from Europe and align this ex-Soviet republic with Russia.

Kiev

Kiev

Protesters practice tactics to defend themselves from possible police scuffles during a rally held by supporters of EU integration in central Kiev, Dec. 8, 2013. Pro-Europe protesters flocked to Kiev's Independence Square on Sunday for a rally that organizers were hoping would swell to 1 million people, piling pressure on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich to turn back from seeking closer ties to Russia.

Credit: Vasily Fedosenk/Reuters

Kiev

A man wearing a Ukrainian national flag walks past Ukrainian riot police as they block the road next to Pro-European Union activists gathered in Kiev's Independence Square, Dec. 9, 2013.

Credit: Sergei Grits/AP

Kiev

Protesters rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Dec. 3, 2013.

Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Kiev

An anti-government protester shouts from a statue in Kiev, Dec. 6, 2013.

Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Kiev

Police officers block a street near a presidential administration building in Kiev, Dec. 4, 2013.